Duplicating machines for the production of duplicated copies of an original by the lithographic technique to rapidly produce reproductions are known in the art. However, while some of these devices provide substantially automated operation, in many respects they do not provide built-in controls for maintaining a proper ink and moisture balance and supply in response to various conditions which tend to upset this balance and require close and skillful monitoring by an operator.
In most duplicator systems heretofore available, moisture is transferred to the form roll as soon as the duplicator printing couple is actuated. Hence, an attendant operator is required to perform manual adjustments for increasing or decreasing the fountain solution flow depending upon whether or not copies are being run. If such a duplicating system were not attended by an operator, the moisture transfer from the solution reservoir throughout the ink and moisture roller complex occurs for some period of time before the master is inserted on the master cylinder. Then, when the form roller is brought into contact, it transfers a surplus of moisture to the master which cannot be used or carried off on the copy sheets fast enough to combat a washed-out copy look.
In view of the varying temperatures under which duplicating machines are operated and subjected to, the viscosity of the ink in the ink reservoir of the machine can vary from a rather thick consistency at low ambient temperatures to a relatively thin consistency at high temperatures. Ink having a thick consistency does not flow readily into the copy paper surface and therefore requires an increase in the volume of ink transferred from the fountain roller to the form roller. On the other hand, as the viscosity of the ink decreases and the ink thins out and both flows more readily onto the copy sheets and is more readily absorbed by them, it requires a reduction in the volume of ink transferred to the form roller. The foregoing situation is normally taken care of by means of the general purpose manual ink adjustments on the duplicating machine, which adjustments require considerable skill on the part of an operator, and usually prevent the use of the duplicator by secretaries or other casual operators.